The present invention relates to vehicles incorporating a stored program digital computer for performing monitoring and control functions.
In the above noted copending U.S. patent application various vehicle usage parameters are made available over a usage data bus for recording. In the July 11, 1974 issue of Electronics magazine, it was reported that Ford Motor Co. was road testing a digital control system for controlling spark timing and valve positions on the basis of data from several engine inputs. The use of an on-board computer for combustion control, emission control, transmission control, braking, and diagnostics is also suggested.
Such applications however generally refer to fine-tuning an engine or control function that is performed automatically on the basis of predetermined engine or control settings. There is no anticipation or suggestion that an on-board computer would have any other function.